Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Toronto on Saturday, where the two politicians said they agreed to establish the Canada-Italy road map for enhanced cooperation.
The two prime ministers issued a joint statement saying the agreement will further deepen their countries’ political, economic and strategic ties by setting out plans for collaboration over the next three to five years on priority files.
These include energy security and the transition to a future focused on sustainable energy, climate change and biodiversity, migration, sustainable economic growth as well as research and innovation, notably in the field of artificial intelligence.
The two G7 members plan to review progress in developing the road map during a meeting next June in Italy.
Speaking to reporters before beginning the closed-door meeting, Trudeau praised Meloni’s leadership as Italy chairs this year’s G7 summit, adding he looked forward to working with her to organize Canada’s tenure as host in 2025.
Mr. Trudeau says Canada and Italy are “aligned on many points” and have “a very deep and growing economic relationship.”
The two politicians fell out publicly last year after Mr Trudeau criticized Italy’s stance on 2SLGBTQ+ issues during a meeting with Ms Meloni at the G7 leaders’ summit. He was reacting to his government’s decision to limit the recognition of parental rights to only the biological parent in families with same-sex parents.
Ms Meloni later rejected these criticisms and said Mr Trudeau had been the victim of fake news.
On Saturday, Meloni touted a number of her priorities as G7 leader, including artificial intelligence, the role of the Indo-Pacific and respect for the rules-based international order.
She also highlighted support for Ukraine and “this very difficult crisis in the Middle East,” where she said it was important to avoid escalation.
“We are starting a new year of relations by trying to strengthen our cooperation and I think that there are many subjects on which we can do so,” said Ms. Meloni.